1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to sports assemblies and more particularly to portable sports assemblies that are rollable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of sports assemblies, and in particular, basketball goal support assemblies, volleyball net support assemblies and the like, have been proposed and used in the past. Such proposals have recognized that stability and portability are desirable if perhaps competing characteristics. In the past, providing both stability and portability in a particular construction has come at the price of requiring a more complex structural arrangement and, in many instances, the use of additional equipment to serve as a way of either transporting or stabilizing the assembly.
While there are patents which disclose the use of wheels or casters rigidly mounted to the base of a sports assembly, one must typically tilt the entire assembly for the wheels to engage the support surface. In the tilted position, the mover bears a significant portion of the assembly weight and stability. In several basketball sports assemblies, the basketball backboard is oversized and extremely heavy. The average person is not able to readily tilt the entire assembly. In the event that one is able to tilt or overturn the assembly, they would still have to bear a significant portion of the weight of the assembly during transportation.
Moreover, there are patents which disclose apparatuses having retractable wheels that can be deployed to engage the ground. However, in some of these apparatuses, one is still required to substantially tilt the apparatus in order to transport it. Other apparatuses which disclose deployable wheels typically utilize such wheels for added support or stability and do not disclose deployable wheels which are the primary means of transporting the particular apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a rollable sports base which is securely in contact with the ground during operation and is easily transported without having to substantially tilt the assembly.